Velvet Roses and Bloody Chocolate
by Afrika1995
Summary: A romantic tale that shows the step a certain Remus Lupin needs to take to protect his niece's mate, and how far Ernest is willing to go to earn her love. Partly horror because of some rather graphic abuse and fighting scenes, but romance till the end.
1. Part One

Chapter One

}~*~{

Remus Lupin has been hiding something from everyone. Everyone except Dumbledore and his brother, because even they have to take responsibility for the catastrophe. But when his past and his brother's daughter are part of his secret, will Remus finally need to tell everyone what causes him the most shame and distress? Or will the Darkness finally take over her soul…..?

(A.N: Most of the character (probably more than half) are not from the Harry Potter series. Keep this in mind when you stop reading and scour your Harry Potter books trying to find someone named Xavier or even Bowser. Just a little, helpful suggestion.)

}~*~{

Week One  
*Day One*

Sunlight filtered through the blinds and even through the heavy shades. Amber eyes opened and glared at the lightness in the surrounding darkness. With a sigh the girl pushed back her blankets and stretched rather like a cat. Her dog was up within seconds, climbing the ladder up onto the top bunk of her bunk-bed. He contentedly curled up on one of her pillows and promptly fell asleep, his deep snores filling the room.

She checked her alarm clock and groaned when it read five o'clock a.m. She pulled the covers back and flopped into her numerous pillows and pulled her dog close. Bowser snorted and his eyelids fluttered before he let out a particularly foul-smelling fart.

Ignoring the stench, she concentrated on the dream she had had that morning. She inhaled deeply, gagging when the fart entered her nostrils, but had succeeded in having even the tiniest of whiffs of fresh pine air and rotting meat. It smelled curiously delicious, intoxicating even, but her half-asleep mind couldn't (or wouldn't) ponder it.

_ Rotting meat… A little early for that stage…_a part of her mind whispered. She'd never heard that voice before. Her amber eyes snapped open, slowly cooling into the normal passive blue they normally were. It was strange, but the girl had no mirror and therefore didn't notice it.

"What the hell?" the girl growled. She sat completely still for a few moments and just lay listening, waiting, feeling for something. Anything that would lead her back to the curious voice. Seconds passed by, then minutes. Ten minutes passed and still nothing. Her head felt heavy as it fell back against the pillows. She was asleep after a welcoming darkness engulfed her.

Remus Lupin paced in his office, his teeth digging into the flesh of his palm. It was an unfortunate habit he did when he was riled up or anxious. And every since the second week of his niece's sixteen-year old career, he couldn't stop the horrid nightmares that reminded him of what he had gotten her into. The Defense professor was so distracted that he didn't notice when two men stepped out of the fireplace, shaking off emerald flames as if they were water.

The first man, a teacher as well, studied the werewolf with an unreadable expression. "Isabelle used to do the same thing. I saw her do it when she was running toward the bathroom."

The sandy-haired man jumped. "Aaron. I wasn't expecting you for a while…. And I see you've brought Ernest."

The second man remained silent, his onyx eyes studying the room. As they fell on his former teacher, the one called Aaron, he found that the man could meet his eyes."Yes, I'm afraid I am early, but this couldn't wait. Remus, you may want to sit down."

The werewolf cautiously did as he was told, his golden eyes wide. _This can't be good,_ he also took a seat and motioned for Ernest to do the same. Once they were all seated, Aaron played idly with his fingers, as if reluctant to relay the bit of information he had gathered.

"Well?" Lupin asked quietly.

A heavy sigh. "Remus, I'm sorry. As you know, I have Isabelle in my class. I have had her for the past two years, and I have learned to read the signs." A pause whilst Aaron peeked up at his dear friend. "She has dated no one except one girl during the month of January of last year."

"Why is that so special?" Ernest asked. He was surprised at how rapidly the werewolf was losing color.

"Remus, I'm afraid she's found her mate." Another heavy sigh. "It's official."

"NO!" Remus snarled, leaping to his feet. He snatched whatever was closest to him and threw it at the wall in a fit of rage. It was too close to the full moon for him to have any kind of control over his emotions and actions. At that moment he wanted to rush at his friend and break him into a thousand pieces, as if he resembled the heavy truth that was upon him.

Ernest had jumped when the rare crystal-glass ornament hit the wall with alarming force. He believed it had been a unicorn before it had shattered, and the pieces that lay on the floor sparkled in the firelight.

Aaron rested with his head in his hands. "I should have seen it before, before all this happened… It was so obvious! Everyone knew about the infatuation, but I couldn't put two and two together until this morning when I saw Ernest again… God, I was so unbelievably stupid!"

Remus stilled for a moment, facing Ernest with dangerous and disturbed eyes. He was very wary of the Asian boy across from him.

"What did Ernest have to do with it?" he asked Aaron slowly, his amber eyes never leaving the boy. He feared his friend's answer, but tried not to show it.

Aaron looked grim. "Ernest is her mate, Remus."

She sat up straight in her bed, gasping for air. It was completely pitch black, although she was certain it was later in the day. Hadn't she only been asleep for fifteen minutes? The clock read seven twenty-two, yet the sun seemed to have disappeared. She crawled out of bed, wincing when her sore feet supported her going down the pegs. As she glanced outside, she realized heavy storm clouds had covered the sun. They looked angry, with swollen and purple counterparts straight above them. Thunder rolled and lightning crashed in violent waves. It was the worst storm she had ever seen.

"I'm her WHAT?!" Ernest exclaimed. He nearly fell backward off of the sofa which he had been seated on as he jumped upward. "That's impossible! I don't even _know_ anyone named Isabelle!"

"You wouldn't," Aaron said sadly, "know her by that name. That's what her real name is. Her father changed her first and last names after Dumbledore expressed his fears that she would inherit Remus' disease."

"William always called it a deformity. Now I know he was right," Remus sighed.

"Hello?" the girl asked as she answered her cell phone.

"So what's her name then? The one I supposedly know her by?" Ernest demanded.

"Abby? I'm sorry to bother you this early, but could you come in today? Our employees that live in Lancaster are stranded because of the weather. I'm sorry it's so short notice, but we really need you."

The girl massaged her temples wearily. "Of course Clarice. What time do you want me there?"

"By two, at the latest. We really appreciate this Abby."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm bringing Bowser though. You know how much he hates bad weather, and this is the worst I have ever seen."

"It's strange isn't it? Not even Maryland or Washington has gotten this bad. Well, I'll see you later. And thanks again."

"No problem. Bye."

As she pressed the button, she brushed aside her heavy curtains to gaze at the angry, homicidal storm. Bowser on the bed behind her whimpered.

"She'll want to claim you as her own," Remus grimaced. "And I assure you, once a werewolf has found its mate, it will kill anything in its way during the claiming process."

Aaron paled considerably. "What will she do to claim Ernest anyway? He'll be alright, right?"

Ernest blushed at the thought. He definitely knew this girl, and it scared him that when they had first 'met' he had just thought of her to be a normal schoolgirl with a normal schoolgirl crush; this was much deeper and darker than that.

"Most werewolves, and even their kin, can be brutal. However, when it comes to their mates, they are gentle and caring. They never do anything their mates won't like."

"So she'll be gentle."

The younger boy said nothing, trying very hard _not_ to think of what he wanted during sex. That could get a little embarrassing.

The werewolf saw right through him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Ernest, but you seem like the type to enjoy your fair share of pain during sexual encounters. If such is the case, she will probably claim him in every sense of the word. She _will_ be brutal during that time."

Aaron looked stricken and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Do you think she knows about Ernest? About them being mates?"

Remus strode toward his favorite couch by the fireplace. He sat there for a few moments, giving himself time to just digest everything that had happened that day. His niece was now at risk for multiple reasons, as was Ernest and Aaron. They knew the truth, and William would want to do just about anything to stop this from getting out.

He just didn't want to accept the truth that his daughter is what he considers to be a monster.

"She's bound to have noticed that she can't forget about Ernest, if that's really the case. You said the last time she dated anyone was last January? And it was a girl? I'd say she's deliberately staying away from dating men because she only wants our Ernest here. And after dating that girl she probably just gave up all together.

"She's most likely frustrated that she can't love anyone else, and these feelings will intensify as her transformation proceeds."

"When will the transformation start?" Aaron asked. He was seriously considering getting hammered that night as some form of release.

"I have no idea. It's different for everyone. But it should start soon, and during which we will need to make sure that Ernest isn't alone with her."

"Will she try to…claim..me?" Ernest asked uncertainly. He was afraid for what seemed to be the first time in his life. He didn't know what the blonde would do to him during the claiming ceremony, or whatever they called it. He was afraid, and he didn't like being afraid.

The werewolf met him in the eye and Ernest didn't like what he saw there. "No, Ernest. She'll try to kill you."

_ How ironic,_ Abby thought as she cleaned out the small puppy's crate. The storm in Lancaster had caused her mother to spend the night at her office, and in the morning she had to leave for Los Vegas for a business retreat.

_ Thank God for the weekend,_ she thought distantly. She was starving and craving all sorts of meats that she had never even heard the names of before. It was strange, but she just wrote it off as pre-period cravings. Except those cravings were usually corndogs or PB-n-J's.

Bowser was thoroughly enjoying himself as he strutted around the cages, as if to advertise his freedom and how the other dogs were deprived of it presently. Abby rolled her eyes and deposited the soiled newspaper in the waste bin before placing the shivering Chihuahua back into its clean cage.

A roll of thunder shook the shelter to its core, and Bowser dove into the cage his owner had opened seconds before. The lights flickered as if they threatened to go out. Abby rolled her eyes, but the smirk she had been wearing quickly dropped when the hole shelter seemed to be filled with howls as the lights finally went out.

Chapter Two  
First Week  
*Day Two*

Remus Lupin groggily opened his eyes at the flash of green flames. He was surprised to see none other than Albus Dumbledore step out of the roaring fireplace in his formal dress.

"Headmaster," Remus said, hurriedly slipping out of the warn sanctity of his woolly blankets. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Albus?"

"I'm sorry it's so late Remus," the older wizard began, "but I have just been informed by a rather panicked Mr. Kang that he fears for his life because of the pre-claiming ceremony period."

The werewolf sighed. "He would be a fool if he weren't."

Blue eyes twinkled as Albus came closer to one of his favorite employees. "Remus, I assure you that if she is anything like you, he has nothing to fear. You are the most gentle, kind, and caring person I have ever known. If she inherited the curse from you, she must have also inherited your kindness."

Bowser growled beside his owner's slumbering form. Bellatrix Lestrange stood over her, studying the girl's features and taking mental notes on her form. _If she isn't strong, there is no reason to be interested in her,_ Bellatrix thought coyly.

But this wasn't true.

The girl had matured well: her lips were well-defined, albeit thin, and her lashes cast thin, delicate shadows against her plump cheeks and were visible even in the very dim light; her hair was a soft gold that not even a Greek god could surpass in magnificence; and her skin had returned to its pale pallor rather than being tan like most other girls in the area that were around her age.

Bellatrix, ignoring the dog's threatening snort, kneeled next to the girl. "Whomever you claim should count himself lucky, my dear," she whispered. She licked her lips greedily before straightening up again.

Satisfied with the young girl, and believing her to be a worthy candidate for her Dark Lord, she left with a swish of her midnight blue cloak. There was a small crack moments later and all was still once more in the kennel.

The lights finally turned back on.

Abby's eyes snapped open and she groaned whilst stretching her sore body. Bowser was acting strangely, being rather protective over her as she stood on wobbly legs. She frowned down at him, but he didn't seem to notice: he was staring off down the corridor as if expecting something to jump out from the shadows.

"I can't believe I slept here last night," the girl grumbled. "I should have at least shared a cot with Clarice. I'm going to be sore for weeks."

She heard the door open at the front of the shop, and the bell upon the front desk being dinged. With a heavy sigh, Abby wobbled to the front desk along the corridor Bowser had been having a staring contest with previously.

As she entered the waiting room, she stopped in shock as to who was there. Bowser, who had followed her closely, ran face-first into the back of her knees.

"You are too kind Headmaster," Remus said, looking away. "But Ernest is still wise for fearing my niece. Werewolves are always unpredictable."

"Not nearly as much as vampires, Remus," Dumbledore chuckled. "You might wish to count your blessings for that one."

The werewolf laughed despite himself. His colleague was correct, of course: at least in werewolf form, you knew what you were getting. It was not so easy with a vampire.

"Yes, but she'll probably smell like wet dog during the first six weeks of her transformation," Remus smiled. "Other might wish she were becoming a vampire instead."

The headmaster seemed to become sober for a moment, gazing at Lupin with sympathy. "This isn't your fault Remus. You must believe that. However, we must discuss the matter of your niece coming here to Hogwarts. Would she be a danger to the students?"

"I was a danger to Severus, wasn't I?" Remus said. He was thankful no one questioned how he knew so much of the claiming process. He was also thankful that James hadn't put two and two together as to why Remus had been so furious to see the Potions professor as he had been that night.

No one noticed, no one put it together, no one knew…..and he wanted to keep it that way. But he wasn't going to abandon his niece just to keep the identity of his mate secret.

Albus said nothing in response to that, but it was clear he did not blame the werewolf for his actions. Instead he cleared his throat and repeated the question:

"Will she be a danger to the students?"

"I don't believe so, headmaster. There is only one person we need her to be careful with, and he'll be staying with me here while I prepare him for the claiming ceremony." He sighed. "I don't think anything I do will be able to prepare him for _that._"

"Xavier," Abby said in surprise. Bowser immediately became an excited ball of fur, running straight at the violinist and nearly knocking him off his feet, even though he was barely as tall as the boy's calves. The Argentinean laughed and scooped the Boston Terrier up into his arms and scratched behind his ears fervently.

"Hey Abby," Xavier said, striding forward. "How're you doing? I heard electricity went out in this part of town too. Lancaster and Palmdale lost all of their power."

"Really?" the blonde asked, smiling when Bowser's tongue hung out the side of his mouth as he panted happily. "He really seems to like you."

"Eh. I'm a dog person," he said, smiling back.

However, the way he was looking at her, as if afraid she would bite him like some rabid dog, made her slightly uneasy. He smile seemed fake and plastic next to the heat his eyes were giving off as he studied her.

"Is there something between my teeth or something?" she snapped. She eyed him angrily, staring at him defiantly. He cleared his throat and set Bowser down, who whimpered his pitiful protest.

"Sorry. I just could have sworn your eyes had turned amber. Like golden butterscotch," he said apologetically.

"That's impossible," she snarled. She wanted to rush the older boy, to break him, to mark him, bite him-

She staggered backward from him, covering her mouth with her petite white hands. Her eyes were indeed golden and were the size of plate saucers.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered, more to herself than to Xavier.

Xavier turned away grimly, completely aware that his fears had been confirmed. He had been sent there by Aaron to check on the girl and see how far along in the transformation she was, if she was. It was apparent what thoughts had been running through her head as she had glared at him.

Whether or not she was aware of it, her lips had pulled back in a snarl when she had spoken, and had stayed that way until she had come to her senses. While Xavier had felt a tingle of fear run up his spine when he realized how close the girl had come to attacking him, he had been able to think clearly; but he could not conclude if she had truly started the transformation yet.

He turned back to her, still feigning apology. "You okay? Anyway, I just wanted to check up on you. I'll see you later, right?"

"Right," she said quietly. Her hands were still covering her lips and she looked like a frightened rabbit. The boy felt a pang of sympathy as he left, Disapparating once outside in the wild rain. His legs were shaking in fear and absolute sheer terror once he reached Remus' sleeping quarters. It was all he could do to slide down onto his knees and quiver uncontrollably.

He didn't notice there were others in the room until reassuring arms wrapped around him and held him close. His eyes met amber and he nodded silently at the werewolf.

Inside the kennel, Abby sank to the floor in shock. Bowser whimpered and crawled into her lap, licking her hand encouragingly. They sat there for a few moments until the numbness went away enough for the girl to check the clock on the wall. It was nine o'clock in the morning, and she knew that this would keep her awake at night, but for know she needed to work.

She rose gingerly after Bowser jumped off in a stylish flair of acrobatics (or so she liked to believe) and walked down the corridor from which she had come.

Chapter Three  
Second Week  
*Day Three*

She gritted her teeth as she walked into Hot Topic. The clothes she was wearing presently were too short and her shirt didn't seem to cover her recently-acquired muscled stomach; her plaid skirt barely reached her thighs. How she had managed to have such a massive growth spurt over night was beyond her. She simply woke up that morning with her feet hanging off the side of her bunk bed and had felt relatively weightless.

It made no sense.

The boy behind the register was eyeing her with hot eyes. When he finally looked at her face, he swallowed before he winked. Abby clenched her fists and stormed toward the dress section.

If she had been normal, she would have gone up to the counter and flirted with him to no end. But ever since freshmen year, when she first saw Ernest Kang, everything had changed: boys were no longer attractive other than him, and eventually women lost their appeal as well.

Her last date had been in January of the previous year, and even though many people still asked her out, she felt no need to indulge them. They had lost any holding they may have had with her ever since she saw Ernest.

She thought she heard her teeth crack with the force of which she was now gritting them.

_Damn you Ernest,_ her mind snarled. _If I ever see you again, your heart shall be mine._

As she tried to calm down by distracting herself with choosing between a plaid purple skirt and a witch's dress, a small boy came up behind her.

"Hey," he said calmly.

She turned and he smiled at her.

"You look pretty sexy in red." He winked. "You'd look better out of it."

Her face burned. "And you'd look better with a stake up your ass, but neither of us are going to get what we want, are we?"

He laughed. "Feisty. I like them that way."

Her eyes turned to amber slits. The boy looked startled, his smile faltering for a moment. "You listen to me, you little piece of-,"

"Abby? What are you doing here?"

She whirled around to find Xavier standing just to the side of her. Crystal hung back slightly, staring at her with wide eyes, and Ryan Mendoza stood behind her.

She deflated rather quickly. "Xavier, what're you doing here?"

His brown eyes darted quickly between her and the small boy. He smiled. "What, I can't help my girlfriend pick out the clothes for our next date?"

The small boy glowered before taking one last look at Abby and walking away with his head held high. She distinctly heard the word 'bitch' as he passed her.

She wasn't sure what it was that made her go after him, but Crystal and Xavier held her back. She was shocked, but recovered quickly by holding up the two garments. "Which one?"

"The purple one," Ryan said, amused. It was hard to believe, but ever since he had begun attending public school again, he had rather abandoned his religious ethics. His parents were furious, she heard, but Ryan didn't seem to care. He still looked prim and proper, but with a little gothic edge to him. It made Abby smile any time she saw him.

"Really?" Xavier asked, surprised. "I was leaning toward the dress. What about you Crystal?"

But Crystal was staring at her friend, obviously at a loss for words. When she regained her voice, she laughed hysterically. "Since when did you get so tall?" she guffawed.

A scowl placed itself on Abby's lips. "Since last night, apparently. I woke up this morning and I was suddenly Godzilla."

Ryan looked at her carefully, as if noticing her curious height for the first time. "Huh. I guess you are taller. Anyway, you only grew a couple inches, right?"

"Try five," Abby sighed. "It was five or four. I used to be 5'3 and now I'm 5'7."

Their jaws dropped. Then suddenly Xavier smiled. "Well I was wondering when you'd stop being so short." He was now looking up at the blonde.

"Yeah, you look pretty hot when you're tall," Ryan said. "Too bad I'm not your type….."

Xavier stilled and looked at the blonde. Her eyes had returned to their natural blue color, although they seemed to spark at the innuendo of dating, which automatically referred back to Ernest.

She shrugged casually. "I know. And too bad you have your eye on Andrea."

He colored slightly before winking back.

They all laughed before Abby began picking up everything around her and shuffling toward the dressing room. They followed her, sometimes picking up random garments of clothing and throwing it atop her monstrous pile. She would flash them a breathtaking smile each time they did so, and it only made Xavier that much more relieved that she hadn't reached the stage in her transformation when she would attack anyone who even brought up anything to do with her mate.

He found himself enjoying himself thoroughly and forgot the fact, a very dangerous fact, that he was with an unstable werewolf fledgling. Right now she was just Abby; a plain, simple, beautiful human.

William glared at his brother. "You want me to do _what?_"

"Give your consent to have your daughter come to Hogwarts next year," Albus Dumbledore said calmly. Remus, the headmaster, and Ernest were sitting on the plush couches of the living room within William's nice home. Two large screen TV's surfaces reflected the light searing in through the flimsy curtains from their alcoves on either side of the fireplace that was dusty from infrequent use.

Ernest couldn't stop fidgeting. This was Abby's, or Isabelle as Remus and Aaron referred to her as, father and he was the one who would have the biggest problem with him.

Aside from the fledgling werewolf, of course.

"The why the fuck would I give consent to that?" he snarled. "She's not a freak like _him._"

It was no secret that he was referring to his brother, who had paled considerably. He lowered his sandy-haired head and stared at his twiddling thumbs.

The front door opened and Aaron stepped inside, looking rather flustered. When the door closed the dormant alarm decided to go off, causing several cries to be heard from upstairs and several doors to open and several children to come rushing down the stairs to see what was the matter.

"Go back upstairs," William snapped as he strode over to the keypad and punched in the numbers to quiet the machine. He waited until he heard the doors close and the children were quiet before pulling out his wand, which also appeared to be dusty from infrequent use, and cast a silencing charm after around three times before getting it correctly cast.

His eyes narrowed at Aaron as he retook his seat on the couch, this time facing the headmaster.

"You are rather ill-tempered with children that are not yours, William," the older wizard said nonchalantly.

The man flared up at once. "If this is your idea of successful convincing, you are failing miserably! And I treat those kids just fine! They're not complaining!"

"They're not complaining to your face," Ernest muttered.

He hadn't meant for that to be heard, but their host apparently had. He got even more red in the face and he clenched his meaty hands into menacing fists.

Aaron quickly tried to distract him. "You have a lovely home Mr. Lu-"

"NO!" William thundered. He stood abruptly and whirled around to face the chorus teacher. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT IN MY OWN HOME! I CHANGED MY NAME FOR A REASON! I WILL NOT BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT- THAT _THING!_"

"Even if your daughter was a 'thing' as well?" Albus inquired solemnly.

"Have you even seen Abby since the day she was born?" William spat.

"Her name is Isabelle, whether you like it or not, Will," Remus said. "And Ernest was in her class in her freshmen year; Aaron is her teacher."

"Yes, yes, she speaks very highly of him," the man said, jerking his thumb towards the latter. "But that doesn't answer my question. Abby isn't a monster like you, Remus. She wouldn't hurt a fly."

Abby tried to get the zipper at the bottom of the black silk dress, but kept fumbling with it. She sighed in frustration, and then squealed when something buzzed right by her ear. She struck out blindly and smacked a fuzzy little body. It landed on the floor, and it was then she realized it was a fly rather than a bee.

She wrinkled her nose and brought the heel of her shoe down on it and ground the poor fly into the ground.

"Ah! Finally!" she exclaimed when she succeeded in zipping up the dress.

Aaron was confused: why were they bidding their time in telling William that his daughter was in fact a monster? But the headmaster looked absolutely calm as he conjured a tea cup out of thin air and took a sip of lemon-flavored tea.

"Would you like some William?"

"No thank you," the man said through clenched teeth.

"You need to relax, young man. We have plenty of time before your daughter comes home." He looked up through his crescent moon spectacles. "I assume that's what you are so nervous about?"

"Are you trying to get me to hex you, old man?" he screeched.

"I'm afraid it would likely backfire due to your previous lack and forgetfulness of spells, my dear boy, but by all means try your best."

The old man smiled and took another sip of his tea, basking in the heat that was coming off of the younger man's face due to his blush.

He chuckled and sipped yet again.

Xavier looked up as the curtain of the dressing room was pushed aside, and then his eyes widened. Abby stepped out in a long, ruffled black silk dress that reached the floor. It was strapless and showed off her pale shoulders and upper chest.

Ryan had to force a swallow down when he saw the fledgling, whilst Crystal merely smiled. "You have to let me borrow that some time."

She rolled her eyes. "Please. It's way too long for you, remember?"

_Ernest better know how lucky he is,_ Xavier thought in awe. This was the first time he had ever been jealous of the other boy.

He smiled.

* * *

Odd...... It seems as if Xavier is developing feelings for Abby/Isabelle.

Ryan is in love with Andrea....

But who does Crystal want?

And will Severus Snape figure out that he's Remus Lupin's mate?

Remember, a lot of these characters (probably over half of them) are not from Harry Potter, just characters I either know or made up. In later chapters I will include more and more Harry Potter characters and eventually drop the, ah, 'real world' characters. Let me know if you want any particular 'real world' characters to stick around and what Harry Potter characters you want to have a big part in this. I may even right a sequel to this, but I'm not sure yet.  
Sometimes it's best to leave a good thing alone.


	2. Part Two

Chapter Two

}~*~{

Remus Lupin has been hiding something from everyone. Everyone except Dumbledore and his brother, because even they have to take responsibility for the catastrophe. But when his past and his brother's daughter are part of his secret, will Remus finally need to tell everyone what causes him the most shame and distress? Or will the Darkness finally take over her soul…..?

}~*~{

Second Week  
*Day Three*

_He smiled._

She did a little twirl and the skirt of the dress moved with her. Xavier turned away, and smirked at Ryan. Ryan smirked back, running his palm over his dark blue skinny jeans and he suspected that the action was because said palm was sweaty with attraction. Crystal was presently arguing with Abby about borrowing the dress.

Though the bickering seemed to be petty babble to Crystal, she wasn't taking it as such. He froze, staring at the fledgling as her eyes grew lighter and lighter and the pupils narrowed to slits. He had seen that expression directed at him just last week and it had been enough to reduce him to a shaking, quivering mess on the floor; and she had also directed it at the small boy from earlier.

If Crystal put two and two together, as Aaron had failed to do at first, things would teeter off the edge and into oblivion. Especially if the girl discovered the truth before the fledgling did.

"Abby, go change into the purple plaid skirt real quick so we can go," he said, trying to feign casualness. That, surprisingly, seemed to bring her to her senses, with her eyes changing back to blue so rapidly it was as if they had never changed in the first place. She nodded at him and gave him a sweet little smile before disappearing back into the changing room.

_This is harder than I thought,_ Xavier thought as he leaned against the wall and exhaled a deep sigh. _It had better be worth it._

_This had better be worth it,_ Ernest thought wearily. He was getting really nervous now. How much longer did Albus plan to stall? It was absolutely ridiculous that William had allowed them to be in his home for over an hour now. It was obvious he wished they weren't there, so why had he not kicked them out yet?

But the main cause for his uneasiness was the ever present question: How long before Abby came home? And what would she do when she saw Ernest?

At the register, Abby quickly handed over the clothes and watched the boy's eyes pop when he saw everything that she was purchasing. It didn't take a genius or a mind reader to know he was imagining her in the sexy dresses and lingerie she had bought out of boredom. Xavier's mind wandered back to Ernest, and he couldn't help but smile largely.

The clerk noticed the smile and arched an eyebrow. "Big weekend planned, eh? You're her boyfriend right?"

"Yes," she replied before Xavier could. It was strange for her to hear those words put together, not to mention directed at her, and it was strange for the other's to hear them.

The total cost of the garments of clothing was enough for the other three to choke on the air they hadn't realized they had been holding. They watched wide-eyed as she handed over a thick wad of cash nonchalantly, as if she were buying a mere bottle of water rather than many rather expensive outfits and several things that wouldn't exactly be considered 'outfits'.

As six very large bags were loaded into her arms without even a wince from her at the cumbersome weight, she smiled at the boy and said very clearly, "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," he grumbled, clearly wishing he had done more than just, ah, help. But as they left the store, Xavier turned around and smiled cheekily at him before sliding his arm around her slender waist. The boy was fuming and he laughed.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself back there, so please retract your arm from me as quickly as possible," Abby said in amusement. But she was deadly serious about what she had said.

"So what's with the lingerie anyway?" Crystal asked curiously. "You're still a virgin right?"

"As are you," she replied coolly. "But yes, I am. And as to the lingerie, I needed some new pajamas since mine are all too short now." She scowled at that statement.

"That's a shame," Xavier said, trying very hard not to think of her sleeping in those 'garments'. Light, lacy blues, vibrant, sheer reds and pinks, dark, whimsical purples and blacks…….

"I know," she muttered. "And I had some really cute bottoms too. My mom's going to freak when she sees how tall I am."

"Aren't you going to your dad's today?" Ryan asked disinterestedly.

His heart dropped to the soles of his feet as he heard her reply with a yes, accompanied by a shrug.

_But Ernest is there……_

Remus was alerted to a commotion outside when he heard a car door slam. He discreetly smelled the air, panicking slightly when he picked up Xavier's scent, along with a bittersweet scent that he knew to be his niece's.

"Aaron!" he shouted, suddenly whirling around to face the recently-startled chorus teacher. "Get Ernest out of here!"

"Why? What's going on?" William demanded.

Albus, Aaron and William had been standing around in the kitchen whilst Ernest stayed in the living room in the same position he had been in for over an hour.

William made an angry, disgruntled noise when Aaron leaped over the couch and latched onto Ernest's arm in order to Apparate, but the door opened before he could get out his wand. Laughter rang through the open space of the first floor and the bittersweet smell became stronger. Remus closed his eyes wearily and asked himself why he had such horrible luck.

"Hey kid," William said, instantly brightening.

Now, when Aaron had grabbed Ernest's arm, they had been in a rather compromising position, with the teacher in between his ex-student's legs. They were both rather flushed and flustered, which only contributed to their awkward image.

There was silence for a moment, during which Ernest closed his eyes in fear. This was the first time he would directly face the girl whom was his mate.

_No, you are her mate, not the other way around,_ his mind told him mechanically.

No teeth were ripping out his throat, no claws scratching his face in angry gashes, and no warm body above his working in a fevered frenzy like he imagined there would be.

Instead, a low chuckle. "I didn't know you were having a party. And I thought you would have at least invited your own daughter." It was apparently obvious that she was staring at her teacher's head in between Ernest's thighs. It made even more heat flush to their cheeks.

Ernest's eyes opened and stared directly into Aaron's. They both blushed at the same time and scrambled away from each other, hastily straightening their clothes as if to regain some composure, but received none.

Abby was staring at them directly and gave a short bow. "Welcome to my home, Mr. Foley; Ernest."

Her eyes were golden.

A deep, dark, threatening gold.

Ernest swallowed, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into. But as he looked over at William after she had straightened up, he knew that her father finally understood why they had come.

He had seen the eyes.

And he knew now.

Chapter Four  
Week Three  
*Day Four*

It started the week before when Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, Ernest, and Aaron had come to his home, and now it seemed as if his life was falling apart. What little sleep he had managed to get before was lost with him up all night worrying about his only child; and he was harassed by the constant dilemma of whether or not to send the fledgling to Hogwarts to get the help she required.

It pained him even more to think of what she would be doing with Ernest, once she fully matured.

"My poor little baby," he whispered. Moments later the bedroom door opened and his current wife stepped inside, ignoring him completely.

William was too worn out to care.

"How was shopping?" he asked once the silence became too much for him to bear. She shrugged her shoulders, not even bothering with verbal acknowledgement. It had been this way between them for a while, but had only intensified over the past week, since the tragic news had finally reached him.

Now he could only hope his wife would wait for him until this dramatic slump was over.

But it seemed as if the wife had other plans.

Her hair was mussed up very slightly, almost unnoticeable by mere human eyes, and the makeup above her right eye was smeared.

William couldn't be bothered to notice, which made his wife all the more angrier with intensified feelings of neglect and nonchalance.

She huffed haughtily as she hung up her heavy coat and stripped out of her fancy clothes. Despite that it was summer, the temperature had begun cooling rapidly, and over half of the time it felt as though it were winter. It had certainly felt so that day, and as if to testify to this fact, his wife's nipples pushed through the fabric of her lacy bra.

"I'm going out tonight with some girlfriends," she called from the closet. "So don't wait up."

"I won't," he groaned, rubbing his face tiredly. "I'm going to go to bed early and hopefully get some sleep. Have a good time and take some pictures for the album Alyah got us for Christmas."

She snorted. "Why would I want to? It was a stupid gift and you don't like pictures anyway. It was pointless."

William looked up, his eyes narrowing suspiciously: he believed his wife to be close to her period, but this was incorrect. "It's the thought that counts, dear."

Another snort. "Yeah, whatever. Why don't you try filling that sucker up while I'm gone, then, huh? It might make you come out of your shell for once and work on saving this marriage."

She came out of the closet fully dressed and stormed out of the room before her husband could say anything. Which he wouldn't have, and he barely acknowledged that she had left.

With a weary sigh he picked up the remote and moved from the desk he had been leaning upon and into his comfortable bed. Once the lights of the TV were flickering across his face, he closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep, most likely the only type of sleep he would be getting all week.

"Do we have any idea how far along she is in her transformation?" Severus Snape asked, having recently taken to attending the meetings condoned by the headmaster concerning the fledgling werewolf.

The list of the participants are as follows:

Bill Weasley

Charlie Weasley

Remus Lupin

Albus Dumbledore

Aaron Foley

Ernest Kang

Xavier Prado

Minerva McGonagall

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Severus Snape

"No," Xavier said, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. "I've been with her almost twenty-four/seven these past few days, but I can't even get a grip of what she's thinking."

"She didn't attack Ernest the other day…. That means she's still maturing, right?" Kingsley surmised. The others looked toward him, silent agreement in the very breaths they took. It was true that Aaron and Ernest, or everyone as a matter of fact, had left William's house unscathed the Friday before.

But the summer was drawing to a close, and the decisions of what to do on the fledgling's behalf were becoming more immediate.

"What has Lupin's brother said as to the matter?" Severus asked, arching a perfect ebony eyebrow in the werewolf's direction.

Lupin was glad he had finally mastered the ability to not blush whenever his mate looked at him.

"We haven't been able to reach him, actually," Bill said with a garish grimace. "I'm starting to worry about the old chap."

"Isn't Ab-er, Isabelle going there again this weekend?" Ernest stuttered. He was trying to grow used to calling his mate by her real name, but it hadn't been going very well.

Albus and Aaron smiled at him for his efforts before the headmaster continued.

"That is correct. And I believe she is bringing her dog…? Bowser? Anyway, it is unfortunately unwise for us to speak to William whilst she is there." A pause. "Especially if you are intent on going, Ernest. Just because she refrained from attacking you last week does not mean she is any less inclined to do so the next time she sees you. As time progresses, it gets more and more likely she will attack you, my boy."

"What precautions need to be taken, headmaster?" Charlie asked, leaning forward eagerly. It seemed that he had had a curiosity about fledgling werewolves since his third year at Hogwarts and was eager to meet Isabelle.

It made Remus happy and uncomfortable at the same time that at least someone was looking at the bright side of the whole mess.

"Someone will need to pick her up to get her school supplies…." Kingsley suggested.

"But that would be Remus, right?" Bill asked.

Dumbledore held up a finger, smiling lightly. "Ah, but one would think so, would they not Mr. Weasley?"

"I can't come into direct contact with her right now," Remus explained. "She has to be introduced to me slowly or else my scent will overwhelm her and send her into a frenzy."

"Why? Because you're both werewolves?" Severus asked, frowning.

"Exactly."

"Wait a second," Bill began, "I thought you went to her house and nothing happened. You were still there when she got home!"

Remus nodded at him. "Yes, but her eyes turned golden."

"But wasn't that because of Ernest?" Xavier demanded. Said boy blushed an interesting shade of pink.

"It could have happened for any number of reasons, which is why we're not going to take that chance."

Severus snickered. "I think her eyes changed because of the rather compromising position she walked in on."

Teacher and ex-pupil refused to meet each other's eyes and their faces burned.

"Whatever the reason," Remus went on, "we're not taking any chances. Someone else will simply have to take her shopping and escort her to Platform 9 ¾."

"That's if her father gives consent," Kingsley pointed out.

Minerva rubbed her temples wearily. "This is so confusing," she said. She had been silent throughout the whole meeting due to a raging headache right between her eyes, and Madam Pomfrey was too sick to create a concoction for her.

The bushy-haired girl beside her turned to her in sympathy. "Perhaps you should go rest, professor."

"I cannot take any more time for myself with this pressing matter at hand, Miss Granger," she snapped.

"Minerva, we are not in dire need of your services at this moment," the headmaster said kindly. "You may go rest and get over your head flu. If anything more develops, I'm sure Miss Granger would be happy to inform you."

Once the eldest witch had taken her leave the meeting went back to who was going to pick up Isabelle to take her to Diagon Alley.

"Why can't her father just take her?" Severus grumbled. "It would our job a lot easier."

"It may seem that way, Severus, but it would create more work in the long run as to introducing myself and Ernest to her," Remus said calmly. "We would have to plant items that had our scent on them around her for days, maybe weeks before she grew accustomed to us."

Sirius and Bill chuckled simultaneously. "Why, it's like bringing a new puppy home to meet the cats," the former said.

"Interesting inference, Black, but I don't think we have time for your petty jokes," the Potions Master snarled.

Blue eyes glared at black from across the room.

"Then why don't we send the person who spends the least time with Professor Lupin to fetch her?" Hermione piped up.

Aaron shook his head. "It is my understanding that we don't want to overwhelm her with Remus' and Ernest's scent, but have just enough so that her body can get used to it slowly. If we sent someone like Severus, whom I'm sure you were referring to, to fetch her, he wouldn't have enough scent on him to start the process. The mission would be futile."

"Wow," Charlie said in awe. "Fledgling werewolves are pretty sensitive."

"Yes, even more so than regular werewolves," Remus said tiredly.

The headmaster rose, beaming at the circle of people before him. "Well, I think we should call it a night, but first I must say this: the people we can rule out as to whom shall fetch the girl are Remus, Ernest, Sirius, and Severus."

"What?" Sirius exclaimed. "Why me?"

"In case you haven't noticed Black, you seem to spend a lot of time with Lupin inside and outside of the Order," Snape drawled. "You probably reek of him as much as he himself does."

Albus inclined his head toward the melancholy man. "He is correct, Sirius. For that reason you cannot go."

"I can't either," Aaron sighed. "I'm staying with Remus and Ernest until we can figure this out so we can brainstorm together about what to do."

"About the claiming ceremony, you mean?" Hermione asked.

An uncomfortable silence followed, during which Ernest looked away in embarrassment.

"Ooops," the girl said softly. "I didn't mean to-,"

"It's okay," he said quietly. "I know you didn't, and the topic is kind of unavoidable. We'll have to talk about it sooner or later."

And it was on this note that people began to file out of Remus' living quarters and back to their homes. Hermione apologized again before leaving, and shortly after Ernest left to his room to 'sleep'.

What he really did was lay on his plush bed and stare up at the ceiling, counting the grains in the wooden beams. And when he was sure everyone believed him to be asleep, he snuck from his room, down to the Room of Requirement. Once inside he walked over to the piano that had appeared and began to play.

He played until he forgot all about werewolves.

It was surprising, but Bowser seemed to enjoy himself the most when Abby would play on her gold violin. He would sit in the same spot for hours and watch her play without making the slightest noise. He would even hold off on farting or grunting or snorting or snoring until his master was finished practicing.

And then he would become an energetic ball of fur again, streaking through the house or rather small backyard until all his energy that had been pent up during practice time had completely left him.

Her favorite time to practice, admittedly, was at night under the stars on the night of a full or crescent moon. She had noticed lately that it was the time she had the most energy, and while the night was so beautiful, she found it hard to resist.

This time, on the night of a crescent moon right in the middle of the month, it was hard to concentrate.

Almost as if it was a sort of nostalgia, she would hear the piano being played. It would not go away, so she simply sat down by the side of her window and gazed up at the stars.

Regrettably, it was far too cold for her to play outside that night. So she sat in her folding chair and waited for the wave of musical nostalgia to pass by.

When it didn't, she grew frustrated.

Until a tune played that she knew. She smiled and put her violin to her chin and began to play along with the piano. Her unique sound filled her room and her head, complimenting the piano so nicely it would have brought tears to anyone's eye.

Ernest's subconscious didn't completely register the accompaniment of a violin until the piece ended. When it did, he whirled around and scoured the shadows to see if perhaps Xavier had followed him. But no Xavier nor violin was seen anywhere, and this led the pianist to believe he had imagined the whole thing. With a sigh he left the Room of Requirement.

He shivered at how cold it was outside.

_You call this summer?_ he thought.


	3. Part Three

**Chapter Five**

**}~*~{**

**Remus Lupin has been hiding something from everyone. Everyone except Dumbledore and his brother, because even they have to take responsibility for the catastrophe. But when his past and his brother's daughter are part of his secret, will Remus finally need to tell everyone what causes him the most shame and distress? Or will the Darkness finally take over her soul…..?**

**(A/N: I know the title sounds kind of dark and depressing, so I wanted to clarify a few things: first, yes, there are parts of this story that will be horror, such as when Isabelle attacks Severus Snape and Ernest in later chapters; second, there will be sex, but not between Remus and Severus. And no, the sex is not to get you all horny, so please get that out of your heads. If you want to get horny, please go visit some sort of slash instead of wasting your time skimming through parts and chapters to find when Isabelle finally 'claims' Ernest.**

**Some fair warnings to all the little horn-dogs. Enjoy the story, then.)**

**}~*~{**

**Week Four**

***Day One***

**Her head was killing her, and she was pretty sure she couldn't breathe. Something that woman from the night before had to have done this, for what else could it be? Her blue eyes began to water and she gripped her head, trying desperately to quell the pain that was blossoming behind her eyes.**

**The woman….The woman…….**

_**The door to the kennel opened and Abby looked up as a beautiful woman stalked to the front desk. Bowser howled as she came closer, but his owner found herself mesmerized by the dark eyes that were watching her with smoldering heat.**_

"_**Hello," she purred, leaning a little too close for comfort.**_

_**She didn't try to pull away, which was odd, instead staring into the dark eyes, which glittered like shiny onyx gems.**_

"_**Ernest," she breathed, leaning forward slightly.**_

_**Her breath ghosted over the sexy woman's face and she blinked in surprise before quickly regaining her composure.**_

_**Or, her composure remained until Abby hurled herself over the counter, knocking the woman down to the floor. The brunette looked up, fear flitting through her eyes before she began fighting back against the snarling blonde on top of her.**_

_**Her fingernails grew, long sharp and grey, and her canines on the top and bottom set of teeth elongated and turned pearly white.**_

_**Inside, Tonks was celebrating. She had managed to copy Ernest's eyes exactly, apparently eliciting a reaction from the fledgling.**_

_**She wasn't so celebratory, however, when sharp teeth dug into her shoulder, hard enough to draw blood.**_

_**Tonks cried out in pain, trying to wrench herself away, but the girl stayed where she was, sucking fervently and biting a little harder each time Tonks screamed.**_

_**Realizing she had no other choice, the Auror pulled out her wand and shouted a spell frantically. The girl flew into a wall, her head making a sickening thump and she slid down the wall, and a blood trail followed.**_

"_**Oh shit!" the brunette screeched.**_

_**Bowser was at her heel, trying to bite her as his master had, but was unsuccessful.**_

_**Tonks ran over to the unconscious blonde, alarmed at how quickly she was losing blood, and mesmerized how it soaked her white button-down shirt.**_

_**They Apparated outside of the Hogwarts barrier, with the blonde in the Auror's arms as she sprinted toward the castle.**_

_**Once inside, she literally ran into Severus, sending him onto the floor; however, Tonks kept running without so much as an apology.**_

_**Curious, Snape went after them…..**_

"**It was a perfect plan!" Tonks defended whilst Madam Pomfrey wrapped her shoulder in numerous bandages.**

"**You're lucky neither of you died!" Remus bellowed. "What in the world were you thinking? Impersonating Ernest-,"**

"**I didn't impersonate all of him! Just his eyes."**

**Remus whirled around to face her, abruptly stopping his pacing. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"**

"**Yes!" Tonks cried, jumping up and brushing the kind nurse's hands away. "Now you know what will happen! Now you can make an assumption about how far along in the transformation she is!"**

**The Order members that were helping with Remus' niece were scattered throughout the infirmary, stuck between feeling sorry for Tonks and furious that she had let this happen to herself. The exception to this was Ernest, who sat on the farthest bed away, as pale as the fleecy sheets that covered it. Xavier sat next to him, his eyes narrowed angrily in Tonks' direction.**

"**As noble as your intentions were, Nymphadora," Dumbledore began, "this was certainly no way to get the information. As Remus said, you could have been killed."**

"**She wasn't trying to kill me!" Tonks shouted in frustration. "She just wanted to hurt me! I don't think she would have tried to-,"**

"**That's the point!" Remus snarled. "You don't **_**know**_** what she would have done! We've been going over this for weeks on the best ways to protect Ernest from her because we **_**don't know**_** what she'll do! You put everything on the line just to find out something that won't even matter in a few weeks! You're just lucky Severus wiped her memory."**

"**Well, most of her memory, Lupin," Severus said, staring at him curiously. The Potions Master had never seen the werewolf get so upset before. "I could only wipe the parts about attacking Nymphadora and her bringing her to the castle: she started waking up before I could finish the rest."**

"**Wait, wait, wait. Aren't there surveillance cameras at the kennel? What are we going to do about those?" Bill demanded.**

**Tonks shook her head, pouting slightly. "I disabled the cameras before I went into the kennel."**

**Albus clapped his hands together, looking around merrily. "See? Everything's just fine thanks to quick thinking! And now we can guess at how far our young Isabelle is in the transformation."**

"**Yeah, and we know not to let Ernest anywhere near her," Charlie grumbled. His enthusiasm at meeting the fledgling had dwindled slightly when Tonks had come in with a huge tear in her shoulder.**

**Abby growled as she touched a rather tender spot on the back of her head. The headache had passed and she lay trembling on the floor, her teeth as if they ached to bite something like a vampire.**

**It was rather annoying.**

**Bowser whimpered and climbed into her lap, licking her hand tenderly and staring up at his mistress. His gaze seemed to say **_**'What's going on?'**_**. She felt the same way. The past few weeks had been haunted by nightmares she most certainly **_**shouldn't**_** have found erotic, since the images involved her ripping out a certain boy's throat as he moaned, his head coming forward as if in submission-**

_**Stop,**_** her mind ordered sharply. She wouldn't, couldn't, think of those dreams without growing even more animalistic than she had been of late. Her mother was constantly gone, not that she minded, and Xavier seemed ever-present, but she found that these dark thoughts kept returning.**

"**And I'm tired of people staring at my damn eyes!" she growled. "I mean they're kind of pretty, like freshwater, but fuck….."**

**She gently picked up her dog and placed him beside his overnight bag, an ache coming to her head as she thought of her stepmother's next big argument as to why Bowser was a smelly, disgusting, ill-tempered mutt that shouldn't be allowed to set even one paw inside her glorious home.**

_**One more insult like that and I'll yank her hair out,**_** Abby thought maliciously.**

**Sometimes, she really couldn't see what her father saw in her.**

**Chapter Six**

**Week Four**

***Day Two***

**As circumstances came into being, Abby found herself lying on an air mattress beside a rather large fish tank whose light illuminated the living room in which she was present. Bowser slept contentedly beside her, his soft snores (which were soft for the first time in years) calming her into a state of -half-sleep.**

**But her brain refused to let her sleep, insisting that she once again mull over the fact that she had almost been forced to leave the house, thanks to her stepmother. She and her stepmother had been pleasant to one another and had even spent a companionable hour together as they watched a horror movie, and Bowser hid his face in his master's thigh.**

**But eventually, much to her dismay, her father had announced that he and her stepmother were spending the weekend away. "Your sister will be here to pick you up in ten minutes," he had said.**

**Completely aware that she had just unpacked, Abby reluctantly trekked upstairs to the loft with no walls nor a door for privacy, and repacked Bowser's favorite blanket and toys.**

**It was strange how her father had been regarding her ever since she had arrived at his house. He had smiled at her, but almost seemed afraid to come near her.**

**If she hadn't known him better, which unfortunately she didn't, she would have said he had actually been afraid of her.**

_**But why would he be afraid of me?**_** she thought. **_**I'm his daughter, after all.**_

**Hermione was up late that night, sitting up curled up like the cat on her lap on the window sill, staring out at the nearly-full moon. The sounds of the Burrow reached her distracted ears, for all she could hear were Tonks' claims:**

"_**She wasn't trying to kill me!"**_

"_**It was the perfect plan!"**_

"_**She was only trying to hurt me!"**_

**Shaking her head, the bushy-haired girl blew hot air upon the cold window's glass, and slowly traced a sloppy heart in the circle of warmth, which quickly disappeared like violets in the cusp of winter.**

"**Hermione?" a groggy voice murmured. "What're you doing up?"**

**She whipped her head around, smiling in relief as she saw the person standing in the shadows. "Oh Harry…. It's just you."**

**He chuckled, taking a seat next to her on the floor. "Yeah, it's just me. Plain and simple Savior of the Wizarding World."**

"**Oh, not yet you aren't," she said, whacking him on the arm playfully.**

**A few moments passed, the silence becoming heavier and heavier, and she could do nothing to break it.**

**Instead she decided to stare out at the plump moon that resembled a slightly deflated balloon, and stroke Crookshanks' fur.**

"**You want to tell me what's wrong?" Harry asked quietly.**

**She sighed. "Well, you see, there's this fledgling……"**

**She screamed, arching off the air mattress as spasms took over her body, and it felt as if her ribs were tearing themselves from each other. Her eyes were wide and a deep, glowing green that rivaled the beauty of Harry Potter's eyes themselves; or at least they would have if it had been any other circumstance.**

**Bowser tore off the hall to find his mistress' sister and her husband, and met them halfway down the hallway. They were both wearing bath robes that hung open and her sister hovered over her, crying hysterically because of her lack of knowledge of what was happening.**

"**Travis! Travis, call 911!" the sister screamed through her tears, which leaked down her cheeks with a resemblance to the pearls of the ocean.**

**Abby's eyes rolled into the back of her head even as she shook uncontrollably, and she felt as if the devil itself possessed her body. It hurt more than anything she had ever felt hurt, and it scared her worse than anything had ever scared her before. But blackness refused to take her, forcing her to remain conscious as she fought for breath.**

**A pop, and a crack, and her shoulder was out of its socket.**

"**Hermione!" Bill called.**

**The two brunettes looked up as the eldest Weasley came running toward them, his boots making small earthquake-like sounds upon the floor, closely followed by his slightly younger brother.**

"**We have a problem," he huffed.**

**She looked at him quizzically. "What's the matter Bill?"**

"**Isabelle is activating, so to speak," Charlie said hurriedly. They both gestured movement, as if telling her to hurry.**

**But the girl remained immobile like stone. "Wait…. Do you mean she's changing?"**

"**Yes!" they shouted together.**

**Her eyes widened and she hopped off the sill, startling Crookshanks something fierce, and was about to follow the boys when Harry stopped them.**

"**I want to come too."**

**Charlie sighed in frustration. "Harry, we don't have time for this! Besides, do you even know what we're talking about?"**

"**Of course I know!" Harry snarled. His hands curled into fists of fury. "Hermione told me!"**

**She couldn't stop the blush that rose to her cheeks at the Weasley brothers' angry glares.**

"**You're staying here, Harry," Bill said with an air of finality. "Now hurry up, Hermione, we have to go."**

**And with a swish of cloaks, and a loud pop, they were indeed gone. And Harry fumed silently, thinking some rather nasty adjectives that described the two brothers at the time.**

**When the three arrived at the scene, they found the house to be in complete and utter chaos, as if the occupants worst fears were coming to life. Several Aurors and Order members were doing various tasks, anything from trying to help the child on the floor to restraining the surprisingly strong Boston Terrier that wanted so desperately to help its master.**

**Her claws were already elongated, and her shoulder was bent at an odd angle. Tonks hung over her, attempting to heal the writhing girl as she still screamed. They were surprised that her vocal chords hadn't broken like a pair of chopsticks.**

**Suddenly her eyes locked with Hermione's, full of agony and raw power. It frightened the brunette, but she found that she could not look away: they were a deep green, more beautiful than Harry's would have been ten times over, and they were captivating.**

**She feared for the werewolf more than she feared for the Aurors that were in danger of being bitten by her. The girl looked so stricken, so terrifying, so horrible, that it made the brunette finally close her eyes and turn away, her stomach churning.**

"**Hermione!" Kingsley shouted. "Get some ice!"**

**She scrambled to the kitchen, narrowly avoiding the flailing claws upon the feet of the rapidly changing monster, and collided harshly with the sobbing sister.**

**She was fighting almost as badly as the young girl upon the floor, and there were scratches down the side of her face, shallow as they were, and they looked as if they hurt deeply in more than one way. The husband was watching the blonde numbly whilst holding the brunette back, avoiding the bustling Aurors and Hermione as she dashed into the kitchen.**

**}~*~{**

**Before them all stood a thin, lean-muscled, shaggy-haired black wolf with glittering green eyes. It didn't try to attack them, only stood at attention, as if waiting for permission to run wild like a pent up beast on meth.**

**Hermione's breath was swept away as the great animal shook its fur out, and when parts of it caught the moonlight, it shined a beautiful shade of blue. When it looked up again, it looked at each of them in turn before walking towards its stunned and near-faint sister. It licked her sweetly on the cheek before turning around and running away at speeds that a roadrunner would be jealous of.**

**They smiled and waved.**

**END OF DAY COUNT.**

**NEW CHAPTER BEGINS.**


End file.
